1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to rotor and stator components of electrical generators and electrical motors and, in particular, to rotor segments and stator segments for a generator and/or motor.
2. Description of Related Art
Many electrical generators for generating direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) electricity and many AC and DC motors have been developed. Some generators and motors include permanent magnets located along the circumference of a rotor mounted on a drive shaft and electrical wire windings or coils located along an inner side of an annular stator. An external force such as flowing air or water rotating the drive shaft and rotor induces electrical current in the coils, thereby generating electricity. When electrical current is passed through the coils, the resulting magnetic force on the permanent magnets causes rotation of the rotor and drive shaft, which acts as the output shaft of a motor.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/506,931 (published on Apr. 21, 2005 as US 2005/0082938) to Schmidt et al. discloses a torque motor which includes an annular rotor comprising a rotor frame and permanent magnets mounted on it, and includes a stator frame with iron cores and electrical windings arranged thereon, characterized by the fact that the iron cores and the electrical windings are arranged in one or more independent stator segments, such that each stator segment is detachably joined to the stator frame. The stator and rotor are coupled by a bearing. However, the torque motor of Schmidt et al. is limited to the electrical components of electrical windings and iron cores in each stator segment. Schmidt et al. is also limited to a single-piece annular rotor, which impedes the manufacturing, assembly and transportation of electrical equipment having a large diameter rotor.